Regarding your post, I agree with the sentiments of KJ.

Your post is clever, intelligent, artistic and moving, and I like the quote you used at the beginning. I totally agree with your sentiments. In fact, knowing myself, I may have done something idiotic if I had been in the circumstances you described, and probably would have gone as far as punching the guy. I may even have attempted to release the Dogs. Of course, this would have been a pointless and stupid thing to do. It would not have helped the dogs much, and would probably have made things worse for them. It would also have brought trouble on myself. You should not blame yourself for not trying to release the animals. I'm almost certain that all that would have been accomplished was more suffering for the poor Dogs. I know that I probably would have acted rashly, though, because I hate witnessing cruelty to animals. Even watching Seal cubs getting beaten to death on TV for their skins, sickened me to the point where I felt that if I was present I would have wanted to have grabbed the clubs from the perpetrators and beat them in kind.That leads me to one fault that I find with your argument, though.

Although Dogs are considered man's best friend in the West do we have the right as Westerners to impose our cultural values on Eastern countries by telling them that they are wrong because they kill and eat Dogs?

Westerners would hold stronger ground in this argument if:

1. No animals whatsoever were killed and consumed in Western countries.

Or at least, if:

2. There were no or at least few instances of unnecessary cruelty inflicted on animals during their slaughter in preparation for consumption in Western countries.

There is no way that what you witnessed on that ferry can in any way be justified, but do we have the right to preach to China or any other country about what animals they can and cannot eat? Also can we accuse the Chinese of being cruel and indifferent to the suffering of animals before we take a tour of the farms and slaughterhouses back home in our own countries? Can you remember the KFC Chicken scandal a few years ago, where hidden cameras in a slaughterhouse revealed the cruel sadistic behaviour of workers whose job it was to kill Chickens in preparation for consumption in KFC restaurants? The methods that some used to kill the animals were anything but humane. What country did this take place in? America! Please see the following link:

http://www.upc-online.org/slaughter/9904hawthorne.htm

Hindus in India believe that Cows should not be killed and eaten, because they view Cows as sacred. Would this, then, give them the right to visit Western countries, and tell Westerners that they should not be killing and eating Cows? Is it ok to be cruel and sadistic to a Cow, but not to a Dog? Dogs are not considered man's best friend in every country, and even if they were, would that mean that it is ok to make a Pig or a Cow suffer because they are not 'man's best friends?'. Some may claim that Dogs are pets. Yet Rabbits are considered pets by many yet at the same time are frequently killed and eaten in Western countries. I'm sure if any of us took a tour of slaughterhouses back in our home countries it wouldn't be too long before we came across an animal or two in a similar wretched state as the poor Dogs that you saw on the ferry. Is it only Dogs that don't willingly go to the slaughter?

If Turnoi had instead mentioned that he was going to eat Beef to help his debating skills on this forum would you have felt the need to respond to that too? I'm not singling your post out for criticism. But I hear this moral outrage from Westerners against the slaughter of Dogs often in Asia. But what about other animals? Shouldn't we be outraged about the cruelty and suffering of all animals? That's why I often think when Westerners cry out about the abuse of Dogs (and sometimes Cats) in Eastern countries, it is more of a cultural crusade rather than a moral one.

Two wrongs don't make a right. If we see unnecessary cruelty inflicted on any animal by anyone, anywhere I believe we have the right to speak up and let them know that what they are doing is wrong, but we do not have the right to impose our cultural beliefs on others.

Please also check out the following link:

http://www.messybeast.com/eat-cats.htm